SCHMID supplies energy storage for smart grid

06.04.2017 |

The EverFlow® Storage Container from SCHMID is integrated into an AC test network for smart grid applications at the Technical University of Dortmund. Due to flexible scalability of capacity and power the Vanadium Redox Flow Technology is predestined for smart grids.

In the Smart Grid Technology Lab, researchers of the TU Dortmund are developing and testing components for smart grids. To this end, they have created an infrastructure which is to be expected in a future low-voltage grid. In addition to electric vehicles, PV systems and a controllable local power transformer, these are also efficient energy storages. Soon a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery from SCHMID will be integrated into the test network. The EverFlow® Storage Container is to be used in the Smart Grid Technology Lab of the TU Dortmund, both in grid-parallel and in stand-alone mode.

The researchers have decided to purchase a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery, since smart grids differ significantly in terms of power and capacity requirements. It is, therefore, advantageous that the capacity of this type of battery can be scaled independently of the power. A higher capacity simply requires the installation of larger tanks with more electrolyte, i.e. more storage medium. This medium consists of a water-based solution containing vanadium. For this reason, the storage is neither flammable nor explosive and can be installed everywhere without any problems. For more power, additional stacks (power converter units) are installed that convert the current and store it in the electrolyte.

The German manufacturer SCHMID is considered as a pioneer of Vanadium Redox Flow Technology and offers turnkey systems in several versions. The EverFlow® Storage Container for the Smart Grid Technology Lab has 30 kW of power and a capacity of 100 kWh.

Customer review

“The Vanadium Redox Flow Battery is suitable for storing excess energy in distribution networks. This way, excess energy from renewables is stored locally and can be used for peak shaving. Distribution networks will increasingly be burdened by high-power consumers such as electric vehicles, with a high simultaneity factor in the evening hours. The storage helps to relieve the distribution network during the load peaks. The free scalability of the Vanadium Redox Flow Technology ensures a simple and cost-effective expansion of storage capacity in the future when more energy needs to be stored from renewable energy sources.”